Senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former minister T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Telangana, accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of damaging the state's reputation and progress for narrow political gains. The allegations were made during a press conference at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday.
Allegations of False Promises and Irrigation Failures
Harish Rao sharply criticized the state government's handling of irrigation projects, particularly the Palamuru–Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS). He stated that instead of addressing questions raised by BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, the government exposed its "cheap mindset" on critical water issues.
The former minister presented a stark contrast in irrigation achievements. He claimed that between 2014 and 2023, the previous BRS government created 17 lakh acres of new ayacut and stabilized another 31.5 lakh acres. In sharp contrast, he pointed out that the Congress government's budgets proposed creating 11.6 lakh acres of new ayacut over two years (6.55 lakh acres in 2024-25 and 5.05 lakh acres in 2025-26), but has actually created less than 11,000 acres in the past two years.
"The Congress government should seek an apology from the people for making false promises," Harish Rao demanded.
Inconsistencies on Krishna Waters and AP Diversion
Harish Rao accused the Congress administration of "mortgaging the interests of Telangana" and highlighted severe inconsistencies in its stance on the sensitive Krishna river water sharing. He revealed that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, in a meeting in July, had offered Andhra Pradesh a blanket No Objection Certificate (NOC) for 500 TMCft of water and permission to construct any number of projects.
However, by September, the same CM stated Telangana's share should be 904 TMCft, while Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy cited the share as 763 TMCft. "This shows complete confusion and a lack of a clear policy," Rao asserted.
He further alleged that the Andhra Pradesh government diverted 650 TMCft of Krishna water this year against a temporary allocation of 512 TMCft, and was siphoning off 10,000 cusecs daily from the Nagarjunasagar right canal. He lambasted the Telangana government for failing to stop these diversions.
Defending BRS Legacy and Demanding Withdrawal
The BRS leader strongly defended the progress made on the PRLIS during the previous regime. He dismissed the irrigation minister's claim that the Centre returned the project's Detailed Project Report (DPR) in April 2023. Rao countered that even after that, K Chandrasekhar Rao engaged with the Centre, and the appraisal process continued until December 2024, during which Telangana secured several crucial clearances for the Palamuru project.
Harish Rao ridiculed Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy for being unprepared in press conferences even after two years in power. He concluded with a firm demand, urging Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to withdraw his letter to the Centre that seeks 45 TMCft of water for Telangana and the Palamuru projects. He branded the current Congress government a "curse on the people of Telangana."
